Miter box



6. w. CARY MITER BOX Filed Jan. 27, 1923 "/4 MBER V INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

lhlihfillt FlE.

GEORGE W. GARY, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GOODE-LL MANU-FAOTURING- COMPANY, OF GREENFIELD, .TIIASSAGHUSETTS, A CORPQRATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

MITER BOX.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon W. CARY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Greenfield, in the county of Franklin andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in llliterBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in miter boxes, and moreparticularly to certain attachments therefor, and consists of an angleattachment adapted to be secured to the bed of a miter box at one end, alength-gauge attachment adapted to be secured to said bed at the otherend, and a square scale delineated on or attached to the front side ofthe arcuate member of said bed in front, such parts and members being ofnew and novel construction and forming new and novel combinations, allas hereinafter set forth.

One object of my invention is to provide a miter boX with comparativelysimple and inexpensive, yet strong and durable, and convenientattachments or devices, whcrewith may be obtained adjustments for anglesmore acute than 45, on the one hand, and is facilitated the cutting ofduplicate parts of any length within the range of adj ust-ment of thelength gauge, on the other hand. The angle attachment may also serve asa molding holder, and used in conncctlon with the length gauge.

It is ordinary practice for a carpenter to determine angles for cuttingrafters or finish with a carpentei s steel square, and another object ofmy invention is to provide a miter box with means whereby rafters orfinish can be cut at the desired angle without the aid of a square, orrecourse to the degree scale of the miter box.

Other objects? and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

. ll attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention by themeans illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is atop plan of the principal parts of a miter box with which my attachmentsin preferred form are combined; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the squarescale showing the same straightened out; Fig. 3, an enlarged, rear endelevation, with parts broken out, ofthe angle attachment; Fig.

Serial No. 615,199.

4, an enlarged, front end and elevation of the length-gauge attachment,and Fig. 5, a right-hand side elevation, in partial section, of saidlast-named attachment.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the first view I have shown the prin cipal parts of a miter box,substantially like that covered by Letters Patent of the United States,No. 978,576, and will first briefly describe the same- A bed comprisinga frame 1 and plates 2-2 and provided with legs or feet 3, there beingthe usual open quadrant 4 between adjacentedges of said plates, verticalback members 5-5 spaced apart to leave a vertical opening for the saw, aradius bar 6 pivotally connected at 7 with said frame, and extend ingbeneath said frame and beyond the front and back sides thereof, achannel bar 8 supported from said radius bar in the opening (4), andvertical saw guides or posts 9-9 rising from said radius bar adjacent toopposite ends thereof. Means (not shown) are provided for locking theradius bar 6 at any desired angle relative to the frame, whereby a boardor other piece of stock may be sawed at a right-angle or at an acute orobtuse angle to its length, the saw (not shown) being operated throughvertical slots in the posts 9 and the aforesaid space or opening betweenadjacent ends of the back members 5, and finally coming down into thechannel in the bar 8, all in the usual and well-known manner. The sidesof the opening 4, which latter is bounded by the adjacent ends of theplates 2, form a right-angle, and the front of said opening is boundedby an arcuate part 10 of the frame 1, and a degree scale 11 is providedon said arcuate part, such scale being common to miter boxes. The scale11 is provided to enable the radius bar 6 to be set at any angle withinthe available quad rant of adjustment.

Secured by means of two bolts 12 to each end of the frame 1 is a supportand guide in the form of a bar 13. The bars 13 are alike andinterchangeable. In the top of each bar 13 extending longitudinallythereof is an angular slot, channel, or groove 14. Along one side of thegroove 14 is an overhang 15. Thus it is seen that the groove 14 in crosssection has two wide sides below and one narrow side above. The anglesformed by the aforesaid. wide and narrow sides are right-angles, and inreality constitute three angles of a square. ne of the wide sides of thegroove 1-1 forms an acute angle with the side of the bar 13 which iscontiguous with the frame 1, and the narrow side of said groove forms anacute angle with the top of said bar. The bolts 12 pass through lateralopenings 16-16 in each bar 13 and are tapped into the frame 1. Anopening 17 is tapped into each bar from the outer face thereof andextends beneath. the groove let in said bar. The opening 17 is locatedmidway between the ends of the bar 13. A bl'ltlIIlb-SCTGW 18 is providedto fit the opening 17 in each bar A slide 19 is provided to lit thegroove 1 1, such slide being square in cross section, except adjacent toits rear terminal where said bar is flattened, and a post 20 is mountedon such flattened part.

A clamp 21 is mounted on each thumbscrew 18, and such clamp in each caseconsists of an approximately vertical plate having an inwardly-extendinglip 22 at the bottom, to engage the under side of the associated bar 13,and an inwardly and upwardly-extending lip 23 to engage the inclinedside of the slide 19, or of a similar slide 24, which side extendsupwardly and inwardly from the outer longitudinal edge of thehorizontal, central plane of such slide. Thus it is seen that, wheneither thumb-screw 18 is tightened, the clamp 21 mounted thereon isforced inwardly toward and against the contiguous bar 13, and intowedging engagement with the slide 19 (or 24) carried by said bar,thereby causing said slide to engage frictionally said bar withsufficient force to hold the former against longitudinal movement. Uponloosening the thumb screw 18 the slide 19 (or 24) can. be moved freelylengthwise in either direction.

The groove 14. is located off center longitudinally in each bar 13,consequently the slide 19 (or 21) extends beyond the bar 13 on the sideof the latter where the associated clamp 21 is located, with the resultthat, when said clamp is forced inwardly by its thumb-screw 18, saidclamp forces the slide downwardly and inwardly, thus securing a bindingeffect on all four sides of the slide.

The slide 241 is provided atthe rear terminal with a block 25 in whichthere is a transverse slot 26 to receive a horizontal length gauge 27.'The length gauge 2'? is merely a bar which is rectan ular in crosssection, and has its inner terminal bent forwardly at right-angles tothe main portion of said bar. The thickness of the gauge 27 is slightlygreater than the depth of the slot 26, which causes the top of saidgauge to be located above the top of the block 25. Tapped into the block25, behind the gauge 27 and cxtemling downwardly into the slide 24, is ascrew 28 which is in'ovided with a handle 29. Inter-posed l')6t\\(3llthe head of the screw 28 and the top of the. block is a washer 39, suchwasher having a sulliciently large diameter to enable the same to bearon the gauge 27. Upon tightening the screw 29 the washer 30 is causedforcibly to engage the gauge 27 and to hold the same againstlongitudinal movement. Upon loosening the screw the gauge 27 can beadjusted longitudinally to whatever extent required.

The slide 2 1. like the slide is square in cross section. fits thegroove 14- in either bar 18, and is adjusted and secured therein afteradjustment by means of the associated thumb-screw 18 and clamp 21. in asimilar manner to that in which said slide 19 is adjusted and secured ashcreinl'icfore explained.

If it be desired to make a cut at an an le that is too acute to beavailable with the miter box proper, the slide 19 is adjusted towhatever extent may be necessary to locate the post 20 in position tocompensate for the difference between the normally available 45 angleand the desired angle. and then the stock to be cut is pla ed on theplates 2 against the outer end of the righthand baclr member 5 and thefront side of the post 20, and held in such position while being cut.the saw-guide member havingbeen previously adjusted or moved into thereouired position.

The process of cuttine moldings or the like mav frequentl be fmilitatedbv usinn the angle gauge. To this end the slide 19 is adjusted in such amanner as to locate the post 20 in advance of the vertical plane of thefront or face of the back members 5 a distance equal to the majorlateral dimension of the stock. Then the stock is placed on the plates 2against the back members 5 and behind the post 20 and cut. said postassisting; materially in holding said steel: in lace during the cuttingoperation.

The length range 27 is em loyed for cutting duplicate parts. and saidgau e is a l justed to locate the inner terminal o the same in properposition for fixing or dete minino. the length of the stoclt to be cut.bv movin said gauge longitudinally in the block The gau e 27 is properlylocated relative to the thicl ncss or width of the stock to be cut byadjusting the slide 24- n its bar 13. The stock is placed on the plates2 against the hack members 5 and moved into contact with the bent.terminal of the gauge 27. and there held while being cut. The anglegauge post 20 may freouentlv be emnlo ed to advantage in connection withthe length canoe. to assist in ho ding the stock in place while beingcut The slides 19 and 24:, with the parts and members supported andcarried thereby, can be removed at any time from the bars 13 and laidone side out of the way, and said slides can be as readily returned toplace in said bars. Thus it is not necessary to be to the trouble ofremoving the supports 13, or either of them, whenever it is desired tolay aside the angle gauge attachment and the length gauge attachment, oreither of them. With these attachments I am able to obtain withpractically no difficulty the most minute adjustments, and there isprovision therein for obtaining such adjustments easily, quickly, andconveniently, while at the same time the locking elements are safe andsecure.

A scale 31 is secured to the front side of the arcuate part 10 of theframe 1, and this scale is so graduated and marked, from zero in thecenter to twelve at each end, that the same can be used in place of thescale 11 as a means of determining the location of the saw-guidemembers, when it is desired to out such stool: as roof rafters whichordinarily have to be laid out with the aid of a carpenters steelsquare. In using the steel square it is necessary to indicate on therafters two points, from the arms of said square, as 12 and 6 forexample, and then to connect the points with a line to serve as a guidefor the saw; while with the scale 31 it is simply necessary to set thesaw-guide members on the numeral which determines the angle of the cutrequired, and proceed to place the rafter in position and cut throughthe same. The numerals 1 to 12, inclusive, denote or indicate what aretechnically termed one out, two out, three out, etc. When the saw-guidemembers are set on O on the scale 31 the saw cuts at an angle of andwhen said members are set on either 12 on said scale the saw cuts thestock at an angle of 15. This last is termed a twelve cut. The othernumerals on the square scale correspond with rafter angles between 15and 90.

More or less change in the shape, size, construction, and arrangement,of some or all of the parts of this invention, may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the same, or exceeding the scope of what isclaimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in an attachment for a miter box, with a barattachable to a miterbox bed, said bar having a longitudinal groovetherein which opens through one side and is partially formed by anundercut adjacent to the other side thereof, said groove incross-section having an angle in the bottom and an angle formed in partby the undercut portion, of a slide angular in cross section to fit saidgroove with one angular part of said slide in the bottom of said groove,another angular part beneath said undercut portion, and another angularpart extending beyond said bar, said slide being provided with awork-engaging member, a screw-threaded member tapped into said bar, anda clamp mounted on said member and having a lip which extends beneathsaid bar and a lip which extends into engagement with said last namedangular part of said slide.

2. The combination, in an attachment for a miter box, with a barattachable to a miterbox bed, said bar having a longitudinal groovetherein which opens through one side and is partially formed by anundercut adjacent to the other side thereof, said groove incross-section having an angle in the bottom and an angle formed in partby the undercut portion, of a slide angular in cross section to fit saidgroove with one angular part of said slide in the bottom of said groove,another angular part beneath said undercut portion, and another angularpart extending beyond said bar, a longitudinallymovable length gaugecarried by said slide, means also carried by said slide to clamp saidgauge and hold the same against longitudinal movement, a screw-threadedmember tapped into said bar, and a clamp mounted on said member andhaving a lip which extends beneath said bar and a lip which extends intoengagement with said last named angular part of said slide.

3. The combination, in a miter box, with a bed, and grooved bars adaptedto be at tached outside to the ends of said bed, of slides receivable inthe grooves in said bars, movable means to clamp said slides to saidbars, a post carried by one of said slides, and length-gauge clampingmeans carried by the other of said slides, said slides being adapted tobe lifted out of said grooves and interchanged, when said clamping meansis removed.

GEORGE W. CARY. Witnesses:

PERLEY E. FAY, VIN'roN C. GARDNER.

